CRAIG CONLEY (Prof. Oddfellow) is recognized by Encarta as “America’s most creative and diligent scholar of letters, words and punctuation.” He has been called a “language fanatic” by Page Six gossip columnist Cindy Adams, a “cult hero” by Publisher’s Weekly, and “a true Renaissance man of the modern era, diving headfirst into comprehensive, open-minded study of realms obscured or merely obscure” by Clint Marsh. An eccentric scholar, Conley’s ideas are often decades ahead of their time. He invented the concept of the “virtual pet” in 1980, fifteen years before the debut of the popular “Tamagotchi” in Japan. His virtual pet, actually a rare flower, still thrives and has reached an incomprehensible size. Conley’s website is OneLetterWords.com.

Weenteredtheroom,andmyeyesfellatonceonthepicture.Ilookedatitforalongtime.Itwasapileofmangoes,bananas,oranges,andIknownotwhat.. . .Thecoloursweresostrangethatwordscanhardlytellwhatatroublingemotiontheygave.Thereweresombreblues,opaquelikeadelicatelycarvedbowlinlapislazuli,andyetwithaquiveringlustrethatsuggestedthepalpitationofmysteriouslife;therewerepurples,horriblelikerawandputridflesh,andyetwithaglowing,sensualpassionthatcalledupvaguememoriesoftheRomanEmpireofHeliogabalus;therewerereds,shrillliketheberriesofholly—onethoughtofChristmasinEngland,andthesnow,thegoodcheer,andthepleasureofchildren—andyetbysomemagicsoftenedtilltheyhadtheswooningtendernessofadove’sbreast;thereweredeepyellowsthatdiedwithanunnaturalpassionintoagreenasfragrantasthespringandaspureasthesparklingwaterofamountainbrook.. . .TheybelongedtoaPolynesiangardenoftheHesperides.—W. Somerset Maugham, The Moon and Sixpence, 1919, a novel inspired by the life of Paul Gauguin.

* Though printed in black and white, great literature is bursting with vibrant colour. In this rebus-style puzzle, color words and parts of words have been replaced with colored boxes. Try to guess the exact hue of each. Roll your mouse over the colored boxes to reveal the missing words. Click the colored boxes to learn more about each hue. Special thanks to Paul Dean for his colorful research.